Publication:   Journal of Multiscale Neuroscience             DOI:  https://doi.org/10.56280/1702545951

 

Abstract

Chronic pain, a pervasive public health issue, significantly contributes to the opioid crisis in the United States, where opioid-related deaths have escalated dramatically since the late 1990s. This narrative review explores integrative approaches to managing chronic pain, aiming to reduce reliance on opioid medications. It synthesizes evidence from randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews, focusing on various pain etiologies, including arthritis, musculoskeletal pain, postsurgical pain, cancer-related pain, fibromyalgia, migraines, and neuropathic pain. Key findings suggest that dietary interventions, lifestyle modifications, and complementary therapies, such as acupuncture, massage, and photobiomodulation therapy, can significantly alleviate pain across multiple conditions. These integrative strategies not only manage pain but also address the pain epidemic and the opioid crisis by offering personalized, multimodal treatment plans that consider the complexity of chronic pain, its psychological and social determinants, and the need for long-term management strategies.

​

Keyword: pain management, arthritis, musculoskeletal pain, post-surgical pain, cancer-related pain, fibromyalgia, migraines, neuropathy, photobiomodulation, acupuncture

​

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest

                
​Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Neural Press.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the CC BY 4.0 license.

​

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, Neural Press™  or the editors, and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

 ​

References:

​​

Abdel Shaheed, C., Maher, C.G., Williams, K.A. and McLachlan, A.J. (2016). Efficacy, Tolerability, and Dose-Dependent Effects of Opioid Analgesics for Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, 2016. Efficacy, tolerability, and dose-dependent effects of opioid analgesics for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 176(7), pp.958–968.

​

Melissa Adair, Barbara Murphy, Sujatha Yarlagadda, Jie Deng, Mary S Dietrich & Sheila H Ridner  (2018) Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of Tailored Yoga in Survivors of Head and Neck Cancer: A Pilot Study’, Integrative Cancer Therapies, 17(3), pp. 774–784. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1534735417753540.

​

Adams, G. and Salomons, T.V. (2020) ‘Attending work with chronic pain is associated with higher levels of psychosocial stress’, Canadian Journal of Pain, 5(1), pp. 107–116. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/24740527.2021.1889925.

 ​

Guillemot-Legris O., Mutemberezi V., Muccioli G.G. and Geurts L. (2018) Post-operative pain in mice is prolonged by diet-induced obesity and rescued by dietary intervention. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 74, 96–105.

​

Gupta S., Alekhya G., Poudel S., Roka Y.B., Adhikari D., Adhikari S., Tiwari P., Shah S. and Thapa S. (2015) Injury prevalence and causality in developing nations: Results from a countrywide population-based survey in Nepal. Surgery 157, 843–849.

​

Hafezi M., Shokri E., Amiri A., Etemadifar M., Yousefi M. and Kordi Yoosefinejad A. (2022) The effect of the Alexander Technique on pain intensity in patients with chronic low back pain: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 29, 54–59.

​

Hagen N.A., Fisher K., Lapointe B., Du Souich P., Chary S., Moulin D., Burns L.C., Lynch M.E., Sellers E.M., Simmonds M. and Bruera E. (2017) Tetrodotoxin for moderate to severe cancer-related pain: A multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-design trial. Pain Research and Management 2017, e7212713.

​

Halpern R., Curtis J.R., Bullano M.F., Yu E.B. and Battista C. (2016) Evaluating guideline-recommended pain medication use among patients with newly diagnosed fibromyalgia. Pain Practice 16, 1027–1039.

​

Franklin GM, Stover BD, Turner JA, Fulton-Kehoe D, Wickizer TM. (2009) Opioid use for chronic low back pain: A prospective, population-based study among injured workers in Washington State, 2002–2005. The Clinical Journal of Pain 25, 743.

​

Frießem CH, Willweber-Strumpf A, Zenz MW. (2009) Chronic pain in primary care: German figures from 1991 and 2006. BMC Public Health 9, 299

​